Our Story
Caveat Lector: This is the long, sappy version of the story. For the Reader's Digest, short and simple version, click here.
He Said:
I had been planning and scheming on how, when, and where to propose to Charlene for months, but in the two weeks leading up to the proposal, my efforts kicked into high gear. Because I was unemployed, I was fortunate enough to have hours of time to plan my scheme. I thought about all kinds of scenarios in my head; I contemplated a myriad of locations and presentations. Ultimately, I decided that it was best to keep the actual proposal simple and intimate while creating an opportune time for Charlene to share the news with the world.
She Said:
On Saturday, August 30th, Brian decided to surprise me with lunch. He came to pick me up from my house a little after 11am. He was a little late that day, which was unusual because Brian is quite punctual. But I didn't think too much of it because he called to inform me that he was running late. He picked me up and drove me back to his place. We hung out with his room mates for a while and watched "I love Lucy".
He Said:
Unfortunately, I was running late because I had gone to get our lunch before heading to her place. On my way over to pick her up, I called my cousin Jay to ask him to pray for me. I was so nervous that the butterflies were clawing to get out of my stomach. I wasn't really nervous about her response to my question as much as I was worried about the whole presentation. I wanted it to be picture perfect and executed with no regrets. I just wasn't sure if I could pull it off the way I hoped. I had to take a few deep breaths and some serious words of prayer before I even went inside to get her. While we were "hanging out" at my house, I was still freaking out in my head. I ran up to my room to grab the ring, put it in my pocket, took a few deep breaths, and headed downstairs. It hadn't even crossed my mind that Charlene hadn't eaten breakfast.
She Said:
I was starving because hadn't eaten breakfast, so I asked, "Where are we going for lunch?" He smiled, said "You'll see," and lead me outside. I followed him to his car and he went to the trunk to pull out a Styrofoam cooler. He didn't even let me peek, so my mind started to wonder.
He Said:
I decided a picnic lunch was exactly what we needed. The day was perfect because it was totally open on both of our calendars. It was also the same day as the Real World Beach Trip, which meant that the proposal itself could be intimate, and then we could go to the Beach Trip so Charlene could tell everyone what happened and show off the ring. (Single guys take note, girls love to show off the ring and tell the story over and over, so make it memorable.)
She Said:
We started to walk towards the park near his place and a particular place where we had a picnic before. At this point, I began contemplating, "Is Brian going to ask me to marry him?" But I couldn't get my hopes up yet. We laid out the picnic blanket and sat down. Brian asked me to close my eyes with my hands in front of me. As I was feeling the object, I guessed and said "Chicken salad sandwich from Driftwood!"
He Said:
And of course, she was right. Driftwood is our favorite deli in Palo Alto. They have the best chicken salad (in our opinion) with chunks of chicken, bell peppers, and a rich, creamy dressing. We've gone there on many dates, and it's our favorite place to get sandwiches. But now that we were here, the only thought in my mind was how I was actually going to be able to pull the ring out of my pocket. I figured there had to be a way to get her to stand up. Thankfully that opportunity arose shortly after we finished eating.
She Said:
The sandwich was delicious as usual and we also ate Pop Chips from Trader Joes and drank Odwalla orange juice. After lunch, we decided to shake off the crumbs from the picnic blanket and then Brian wanted to slow dance with me. We can slow dance in the park, in the parking lot, anywhere; we love to slow dance with or without music.
He Said:
This is it! I knew once we stood up to shake out the crumbs that my time had come. I was able to stand up, and with cat-like agility, I reached into my pocket and grabbed the ring.
She Said:
After about a minute or so, Brian only had one hand behind my back as we were slow dancing and then he was fumbling with his hands. At this moment, I knew something was brewing. I thought to myself, "What in the world is he doing?"
He Said:
Shoot! As I grabbed the ring out of my pocket, I realized that the ring itself had come loose in the box. My perfect presentation of the ring was being ruined. I was frantically but subtly (or maybe not so subtly) trying to open the box, grab the ring, and reset it in its proper location. I was even holding her close so that I could peer over her shoulder to make sure the ring was in the right place. I fumbled with my hands for what seemed like forever. I was finally able to get it back in place.
She Said:
Then he looked at me and said, "Charlene, I have 2 surprises, one is visible and the other is invisible and the invisible one is a question."
He Said:
After what seemed like an eternity...
She Said:
He knelt down on one knee with his little black box. At this point, I knew, "THIS IS IT, HE'S GOING TO ASK ME TO MARRY HIM !!!!!!", I started to cry tears of JOY. As...
He Said:
I said, "Charlene, will you marry me?"
She Said:
I was crying even harder and without hesitation I said "YES". He presented me with a beautiful ring and placed it on my left ring finger, and we hugged. I couldn't help by cry for a few more minutes. The visible surprise was the ring which I had set my heart on from the moment I first wore it at the jewelry store. At this moment I was BEAMING with joy! I wanted to call my parents, family and friends to tell them the GREAT NEWS.
He Said:
When she started crying, I was momentarily mortified. The expression on her face didn't exactly scream, "Yes" the way I had hoped, but I've learned over the course of our relationship to take Charlene at her word. And the important thing was that ultimately she had said "Yes." We enjoyed the moment for a while, basking in the glow of the other's happiness.
She Said:
As we walked back to his place, I couldn't believe that I finally had a fiancé!!! After 27 years of waiting, I was finally engaged. We got back to his place and Brian said "Oh, I forgot. I have another surprise for you", I was thinking "What can possibly top the proposal and ring?" He went into the kitchen and with my eyes closed, handed me 2 dozen two-toned roses (my favorite!). Brian gave me a similar bouquet when I passed my PT license exam on February 27, 2007 before we were dating.
He Said:
At the time I gave her the original dozen roses, Charlene exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! You're too much! How are you ever going to top this?" To which I responded in my head, "You have no idea. There are plenty of ways to top this." And of course, what better way to top one dozen roses than with two dozen roses?
She Said:
Brian did a fabulous job surprising me and he seemed so calm and collected! The rest of the afternoon, we called our parents, family, and friends. Later that evening we went to the Real World beach trip in Santa Cruz where we were able to share our proposal story and show off my ring! Truly a day to remember FOREVER! Praise GOD and THANK YOU BRIAN!
He Said:
And thank you for saying, "Yes!"